Bloch Ernest

(24. 07. 1880 - 15. 07. 1959)

Bloch Ernest

Biographie

Ernest Bloch was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His first teacher in composition was Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. At the age of sixteen he left Geneva to spend eight years studying in Brussels (under Eugene Ysaye), in Frankfurt-on-Main (under Ivan Knorr), in Munich (under Ludwig Thuille) and in Paris.
Already having composed two symphonic poems, a symphony and several songs, he returned to Geneva in 1904, where he lived until 1916. During this period, besides composing, he also gave lectures on aesthetics at the Geneva Conservatoire and conducted symphony concerts with great success at Lausanne and Neuchatel. In 1910 his opera "Macbeth" was performed at the Opera-Comique in Paris.
Upon his arrival in America in 1916 Bloch was recognized immediately. After only a few months in New York he was invited by Dr. Karl Muck of the Boston Symphony to conduct his "Trois poemes Juifs" in Boston. In May, 1917, the New York Society of the Friends of Music gave a concert devoted to his orchestral works, with Artur Bodanzky and the composer conducting.
His "Suite for Viola and Piano" won the Coolidge Prize in 1919. In 1920 he was appointed Director of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he remained until 1925, .leaving to become Director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
In 1926 he received the Musical America prize for his epic rhapsody "America" which had the distinction of being premiered simultaneously in five different American cities. In 1930 he was made beneficiary of the Rose and Jacob Stern Fund of the University of California, which enabled him for some years to devote his full time to composing. He returned to Europe, settling in Ticino, Italian Switzerland, where he composed his "Sacred Service". Later he spent short periods in Paris, New York, and finally settled in the hamlet of Chatel in the HauteSavoie, France.
The Second World War affected him deeply and, for a while, he did not compose. Having returned to America, he conducted many concerts and finally, in 1939, went to the West Coast where he settled for his last years at Agate Beach, Oregon.
From there he went for a number of summers to the University of California at Berkeley to give Master courses and lectures. In 1952 he was made Professor Emeritus of Music of that university.
During these last years he was the recipient of several honorary degrees.
He was also awarded the first Gold Medal in Music by the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1947). In the same year he received the New York Music. Critics Circle Award for his "String Quartet No.2". Another New York Music Critics Circle Award was given him in 1953 for his "Concerto Grosso No.2" and his "String Quartet No.3". In 1956 he received the National Jewish Welfare Board's Frank L. Weil Award, and in 1959 the Brandeis Creative Arts Award.
In 1957 Bloch was told he 'had an incurable illness and should submit to immediate surgery. Bloch's choice was first to return home and complete compositions which he had begun. But in 1958 he had to accept the operation. The Fine Arts Commission of the city of Portland, Oregon, gave him a Special Award during his convalescence. Ten months later, he died.
The impact of his prodigious intellect, his vitality, enthusiasm, and his respectful and conscientious approach to the works of great masters left an indelible impression on all his students, among whom are several noted American composers of tOday. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia of Rome.